Markets and Marble

Today was a fantastic day.

I awoke much earlier than my body had hoped after a late night on Thursday, but the sun was shining brightly and after a shower and a quick breakfast I was headed off to the Mercato Centrale with a group of NYU students and our Office of Student Life coordinator Alexa. The OSL had planned this trip since before we even arrived on campus, and I signed up last week because I heard it was “not to be missed”.

We took the bus down into town and stopped in a little café before heading to the market. I, of course, don’t really drink coffee, but Alexa recommended I try a “Latte Macchiato” which is a drink that Italians give to their young children to help them start getting used to coffee! It’s basically steamed milk with a drop of coffee in it, but that was plenty enough for my taste buds.

The  Market was incredible. It’s not like I’d never seen raw meat and fresh vegetables before, but there was such a cultural authenticity about this place, it’s hard to describe. I posted some pictures here. It also helped that Alexa is INCREDIBLY knowledgeable about everything…I learned more about Italian history and culture in this ONE visit to the Mercato than everything I’ve previously learned since arriving here two and a half weeks ago.

I’ll highlight a couple of things that I learned: Italians take tremendous pride in their country and their food. Any item raised within the country is MORE expensive and considered higher quality than anything imported. The label on national food even translates to “ours”. Italians are also obsessed with digestion and diet. I guess that’s why there seem to be no overweight people. You don’t drink certain drinks or even take a SHOWER after eating because it disrupts the digestive cycle.

Italians are excessively resourceful. No part of the animal goes to waste; everything is edible. You’ll see from my pictures that people often by the entire animal (especially poultry) because you can use everything. Under the glass you see brains, heart, lungs, tripe, testicles, and every other body part you can imagine. Use your imagination: it’s there.

People complain about Tuscan bread because…it has no salt. Gross, right? Well…yes, it’s very bland, and it’s certainly not a taste that we are used to. I thought it was this way in all of Italy, but it’s specific to Tuscany. The story goes that WAY back when Pisa and Florence were at war, Pisa (being on the coast and the mouth of the Arno river) halted all transport of salt to Florence—just to be bratty. So (Italians are stubborn) the Tuscans said, “Fine. We don’t need salt.” And they’ve made bread with no salt ever since. They’re STILL too stubborn to say, “You’re right…it tastes better with salt.” And now they’ve acquired the taste. It might take ME a little longer than 4 months to get used to it, though…

After I left the market, I went by myself to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see David. You know…the David. It’s funny…everyone talks about how it’s “so incredible” and I’ve always just sort of thought, “Alright, I appreciate art and all of that, but really…it’s just a sculpture.” But as I rounded the corner and looked down the hall lined with Michelangelo’s abandoned sculpture projects to witness the colossal form of the Old Testament hero, posed with his sling draped behind his back in the moment before he strikes down the giant Goliath…it truly is breathtaking. On the plaque in front of the sculpture there’s a quote from an art historian who says something to the effect of, “Once you’ve seen David¸ you really needn’t bother looking at any other piece of art within the genre. This is the epitome of the art form.”

I can’t even fathom how someone took an enormous slab of white marble that people were throwing out because it was “defective” and created one of the most masterful works of art ever created in the history of the world. He is the ideal masculine form…he looks like an anatomy model. Except, however, that his head is disproportionally large because he was meant to be placed high high up on top of a building, so Michelangelo had to compensate and trick the eye of the beholder. But in the picture books in the museum gift shop there are certain photos of the statue taken in certain light that you honestly have to study really hard to realize that you’re not looking at a human being. There are even veins visibly protruding from the tops of his hands! It’s truly exquisite.

I know that I’ll be going back to look at it again. I found myself always coming back to it in the museum.

Which I shouldn’t discredit. There was a room full of literally HUNDREDS of plaster busts, many paintings throughout the halls of the museum of course, and another very very striking sculpture called Ratto delle Sabine that was extremely beautiful and moving as well. I managed to snap a photo of it before I realized that the taking of photographs was expressly forbidden in the museum. They’re not joking…they’re like hawks surrounding David just waiting to descend upon someone who even THINKS about whipping out a camera.

I’m glad I went by myself though…it made it very personal and special and I liked that about it.

There is an exhibit of historical musical instruments at the museum as well, which I chose to leave for another day! I am so grateful for this Museum pass card they gave us!

I spent the rest of the day relaxing at home, and tonight we watched Disney’s Enchanted for what was my first time! Hard to believe, I know…but I enjoyed the movie nonetheless. Although it did make me miss New York…a lot…